Watching emerging story for risk communications lessons | Homeland Security Watch

Watching emerging story for risk communications lessons | Homeland Security Watch: "Watching emerging story for risk communications lessons
Filed under: General Homeland Security — by Philip J. Palin on April 25, 2009

At 11:45 am (eastern) on Saturday the BBC headline reads: Mexico Flu has “Pandemic Potential”

Swine Flu could Cause Pandemic: WHO Says is the Washington Post’s lead.

The most complete and updated story at this hour is probably from Bloomberg: Swine Flu May Be Named Event of International Concern.

While WHO and CDC experts are talking, their public information sites have not — yet — changed from yesterday:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm

There is a slightly breathless quality to the reporting (perhaps not the best choice of words for respiratory illness). But given what I know, the media stories are accurate. The urgent tone is — potentially — getting ahead of the facts. But, if so, this is not the media’s fault. A potentially significant threat has suddenly — even mysteriously – emerged. It deserves serious attention. The media is doing what it is supposed to do. The tone reflects the current paucity of authoritative information and comments by authorities who are available to the me"